NEW RELEASE
Laura's Handmade Life - Amanda Addison (2011)
If not for her architect husband Adi, Laura Lovegrove would never have agreed to move out of London. The idea of settling down in Norfolk did not seem promising, especially since it meant starting all over again. As Laura busies herself with her part-time teaching job at Town and Country College, juggling her roles of a working mum and a freelance textile designer, she slowly finds herself adapting to the village life, but her accident-prone nature soon gets in the way - and Laura ends up burning down the entire house. With her entire collection of vintage clothing destroyed, Laura takes up sewing classes. She falls in love with the art of stitching, inspiring her to take on a series of projects - which in turn pushes her closer to fulfilling her dreams, but at the same time, distancing her from the ones she loves. Sadly, the fun sewing ideas (found at the back of the book) could not compensate for the dull and hard-to-follow storyline. (XT)
Laura's Handmade Life, the debut novel by British textile designer Amanda Addison, is about a trendy designer who moves to the country with her young family when her husband gets a new job. The summary says: "Laura Lovegrove is leaving behind her seamless life in London. Architect husband Adi has been relocated to rural Norfolk, a far cry from ultra-urban Ealing. Though Laura knew village life would be different, she didn't foresee a pokey cottage, nosey neighbours, errant poodles, and even an ex turning up. Chris had been her big love at art college and seeing him again is utterly confusing. Is she really so different from the impulsive student who once trawled charity shops for vintage treasures? When a fire all but destroys Laura's collection of vintage clothes, she's heartbroken. And seriously lacking in outfits. But, salvaging what she can, Laura makes do and mends - sewing purses, bags, even dog leads (which should solve the poodle problem). Soon, she's inundated with orders. But Adi is becoming more and more distant; it's like there's something he's not telling her. Can Laura make a stitch in time and pull her family back together again?" Laura's Handmade Life is out in June.